Posts by Roger Rodriguez

Walter Brown8 said:Guess I actually did 🤷

No worries, kind wishes are always appreciated 😁

slywolf11 said:I went to see my psychiatrist and we talked things through; I explained that I'm feeling that surge of adrenaline again, like I have to constantly move and I'm hyperactive, plus that constant nervous knot in my stomach. He prescribed Xanax 0.5, both morning and night, and I've been taking it and feeling pretty good. I realized, though—and I feel like such an idiot—that when I looked at his report from about a month and a half ago, it listed Xanax 0.5, but I hadn't actually checked the prescription issued by my primary care physician (the paperwork in our healthcare system can be such a mess). It turns out the script actually said Xanax 0.25, just two boxes. So, I've essentially been taking Xanax 0.25 in the morning and at night instead of the 0.5 dose. I think I'll start taking the 0.5 starting tomorrow and see how it goes.
Xanax doesn't affect my sex life; I double-checked that as early as Wednesday 🙂 and everything was 👍, whereas while I was on Alvent, it was 👎.
Regarding pregnancy and Xanax, I plan to keep taking it right up until the moment I find out I'm pregnant. A year ago, I was pregnant and didn't take anything, and I lost twins, which absolutely destroyed me mentally. That's why I'm seeing a psychiatrist now. I suppose if it's meant to be fine, it will be fine, and if not 🤷....

I'm sorry, I missed whether you mentioned exactly which medications you're on, but if you're only taking Xanax, I have to say your psychiatrist isn't being very responsible. He's filling you up with anxiolytics that create a massive dependency rather than actually treating the root cause.
Are you taking an antidepressant?
Xanax won't impact your sex life, but antidepressants definitely can; they aren't the same thing.
If I were you, I wouldn't increase the Xanax dose, or perhaps look into switching to something else entirely, because Xanax isn't going to cure you or provide long-term relief.
I'd love to know who this doctor is! 🙄
By the way, if you need something during pregnancy, you can take Ativan; it shouldn't harm the baby. 👍

Brandon Newman95 said:If I'm reading this right, Roger Rodriguez is trying to get off Paxil for good.

That’s exactly it; I think Walter Brown8 might have misunderstood me.
Hang in there, everyone! 😘

velvetsailor26 said:"As above, so below"—it’s basically saying that your internal reality dictates your external one. If your head is a mess, your life is going to be a mess too.
Roger Rodriguez, just do me a favor and try not to obsess over cutting your dose right now.

Charles James3 said:Roger Rodriguez, everyone knows exactly what kind of hell you’re going through right now. I’m with velvetsailor26 on this one—just try not to obsess over cutting your dose or constantly worrying about which day is gonna hit you the hardest. I know, sounds easy said than done, but honestly, you don't really have much of a choice. Just grit your teeth and push through—there's always a way out. 🙂
I’m actually dealing with some similar crap myself at the moment, but hey, things have to get better eventually. Gotta stay optimistic despite everything, right? 🙂

Thanks, ladies, I truly appreciate the support. I am trying my best to keep it off my mind, but it's always lurking in the back of my head. Last night, I actually had a dream where I was crushing my Paxil just so I could snort it to make it kick in faster.🙄.
It's true, I don't have much of an option. I either power through even when I feel terrible, or I go back up to 20mg and spend the next few years trying to taper down again.
Charles James3, I don't know the specifics of your situation, but I really hope everything turns out okay.👍

Oh man, I’m actually feeling pretty anxious about this...😢 On Tuesday, I cut my dose in half again, going from 20mg of Paxil down to 10mg. I asked my psychiatrist if we could maybe meet in the middle at 15mg instead, but they insisted there was no need to 😕
What should I be bracing for, everyone? If things felt absolutely unbearable just a month ago, am I looking at a repeat performance?
I feel fine for the moment, but I can't help but remember how much I struggled once the fourth day hit last time.

Nathan Kim10 said:I haven't seen a single case of that, nor have I ever heard of it.😉 Besides that, it's common knowledge that alcohol dilates blood vessels. A stroke happens either because a vessel gets blocked, leading to an infarct, or because a vessel bursts and causes bleeding in the brain.
In neither of those situations is there any mention of combining sedatives and alcohol being the cause.

Look, I'm just relaying what I was told. I'm certainly not claiming it's a proven fact. 😉

velvetsailor26 said:When you mix alcohol with medications that mess with your brain chemistry—think things like anti-anxiety meds, antipsychotics, antidepressants, sleeping pills, or even local anesthetics—you’re playing with fire. You can end up dealing with side effects like extreme drowsiness, dizziness, shallow or labored breathing, memory gaps, and a total loss of coordination.

I pulled this text from a mental health forum where it was originally posted by Dr. Maja Jakševac Mikša, and interestingly enough, there isn't a single word in there about strokes.

Nathan Kim10 said:Check my earlier post. You aren't going to get a stroke from mixing antidepressants and alcohol. The worst case scenario is probably just stopping breathing—anxiolytics and ADs hit the respiratory center, and alcohol just cranks that effect up.
Honestly, you'd be better off just having some intense sex that night than touching a drop of alcohol.😉😍

If everything was readily available online, would there even be just two posts on this thread?
I actually spoke with a psychiatrist about this, and they told me that mixing ADs with alcohol usually just intensifies existing symptoms—like drowsiness, tremors, or dizziness. That said, in certain instances, one can't entirely rule out the possibility of a stroke. 🤷

Taylor Miller10 said:Well, here I am. I see a lot of negative comments regarding my habit of "drinking while on antidepressants."
To be honest, it's hard for me to be around a social circle that's always out dancing and drinking without wanting to join in myself, especially since that's how my friends have always celebrated.
Just to clarify, we aren't alcoholics, despite how it might sound to some of you reading this.
And frankly, I don't understand the sheer panic surrounding this. If I take my 50mg antidepressant pill and then have a drink in the evening... what's the big deal? Aside from the "blues" I experienced even before I started medication, what could possibly go wrong?

Regardless, I plan to ask my doctor during my next checkup if I can stop taking these meds altogether...
The real issue I'm dealing with is this breakup; I have to get through it one way or another, and I'm terrified of becoming dependent on pills and relying on them to function.
I don't even know anymore... what I actually need is therapy to work on my self-esteem and my fear of abandonment... and someone to just be there for me.

Wait a second, so you actually felt unwell the following day?
And yet you're coming here to ask what could go wrong?
If you're already under medical supervision and on a prescription, why would you consume alcohol that sets your progress back, essentially acting like you were never even in treatment? You're just spinning your wheels.
A "little pill" of 50mg isn't as harmless as it sounds; it stays in your system for several days, sometimes even weeks after you stop the regimen, which is why doctors advise avoiding alcohol for at least a month after finishing the course.
It doesn't matter to your body whether you take the pill in the morning and drink in the evening.
And honestly, just so you know, combining them like that is a fast track to a stroke.

Charles James3 said:Look, I’d try it if I actually knew it wouldn't wreck me like this... but the fear is real. I've heard plenty of people take them and be fine—just feel a bit more "hit"—but that's not me. I'm constantly at parties or hanging out with friends where everyone's drinking, and I'm always the one making up lame excuses to stay sober. Because if I actually pulled out my meds and told them, "Yeah, this is why," they'd look at me like some kind of junkie or whatever. People just don't get that it's not what I want—I'm fighting tooth and nail just to get back to my old self...

It's heavy stuff, man. You never think you'll reach a point where you have to rely on pills just to function normally. Life really throws curveballs when you least expect them...

So what if people judge you?
Is it really worth risking your life just because someone doesn't understand why you're taking medication? 🙄
It wasn't a massive hit for me, but after just a few sips, the anxiety kicked in, my heart started racing, and I felt sick. Instead of having a great time, I ended up in the ER.
Taylor Miller10 keep mixing pills and alcohol then; if you're lucky, maybe you'll manage to quit messing around with this stuff before it's too late. And when I remember how you were posting here just two weeks ago asking when your antidepressants would kick in and how you'd feel...🙄
I honestly don't get how people can be so reckless and irresponsible. Would you really risk your life for one night of partying rather than waiting a few months—or even years—to get clean and work through the pain you're already dealing with?
In a few weeks or months, there will be a whole new wave of posts on this exact topic, with people searching for answers about how, why, and what happened.

Larry Howard8 said:Yeah, I could always just jump off a building.

Jump off a building? Are we really at that point already? There are still so many crises, bouts of depression, sleepless nights, and those endless cycles of adjusting medication doses before those kinds of thoughts even cross your mind, right? 😬
Until then, why dwell on it? Why not focus that energy on moving forward and working on yourself instead?

The second phase of my quitting Zoloft journey kicks off this Monday. 👋 👋 👋
Now that I'm feeling let down by it once again... 😬

Larry Howard8 said:No way,
I went through the exact same thing five years ago—honestly, it was even worse back then,
and I managed to get through it on just 75 mg,
so there's no way these fucking 100 mg won't work.

So, what else is there to do besides wait??
Look, you keep saying things aren't quite right with the Zoloft, yet you aren't willing to switch.
If I were in your shoes, I’d definitely look into changing my antidepressant; five years is a long time to feel like things are slipping, especially if you're feeling worse now. But if you're set against switching... why even ask for advice? We can't tell you why you're struggling. Ultimately, your psychiatrist should be able to help you figure that out, especially if you've been in therapy for a while.
Just don't tell me you aren't seeing anyone, or I might just have to slap myself for even suggesting it!

Larry Howard8 said:I actually felt pretty solid on Zoloft for seven straight days,
but today I’m right back to crying my eyes out,
what is wrong with me?

😢

Are you staying in touch with your psychiatrist?

Slow down, caramel. Nothing happens overnight.
I suspect people get annoyed when you ask these things because, let’s be honest, they aren't exactly life-altering 🤷
If you were expecting to just pop a few pills and suddenly feel reborn—that’s not how this works. You might even deal with feeling a bit numb throughout the entire course of treatment. Just accept it. But if you actually want to make progress with therapy, you have to do the work; Zoloft isn't going to magically gift you a whole new set of emotions.

Your Brain is 60 % Female, 40 % Male
It turns out you’ve got a pretty feminine brain structure
And honestly, who could complain about that?
You’re naturally empathetic, compassionate, and deeply in tune with how people feel.
That makes you an incredible friend and someone people turn to for solid advice.
What a load of garbage.

Robert Collins2 said:If we're talking about clinical depression, those symptoms should eventually just fade away on their own. With anxiolytics, though, things get way messier because you've got to deal with that benzodiazepine withdrawal—it’s honestly like some junkie's detox, and it all really boils down to your specific dosage and how long you've been on them. Personally, I'm tapering off slowly under my doctor's watch; I'm dropping the Helix first over the course of a week, while I'll probably keep the Effexor and Lustral going for another six months just as a preventative measure.

I've been taking Helix since the very start of my treatment, starting out at 4 mg a day, and now I'm down to just 0.25. I've been on it for five months now, but don't get it twisted—I didn't get hooked on it, it's actually the exact opposite. I'm planning to be completely done with it in seven days, but look, at the end of the day, most of this stuff is in your head. You can't just sit there like a zombie waiting for a little pill to perform some kind of miracle; that's just not how it works!

In my case, I'm tapering off an antidepressant, specifically Paxil.
When I first started treatment four years ago, I was taking Xanax twice a day for about two or three months. I didn't even notice when I stopped; everything went perfectly fine.
But now, this whole situation with the antidepressants is starting to worry me, because I never expected this to happen. My highest dose was 20mg (just one pill a day), and my psychiatrist recently dropped me down to 10mg, and I honestly thought I was going to die.
So, he put me back on 20mg and told me to check in once my finals were over. Well, I haven't called him yet. 🙈
Because, naturally, I'm terrified that I'll feel terrible again, so I keep putting it off. Knowing myself, I'll probably procrastinate forever unless someone practically drags me to his office.

mistycrane19 said:That’s hardly a brilliant move, taking matters into your own hands like that...

It’s far too early to be worrying about withdrawal crises; you won't really start feeling the effects for at least another 48 hours.

Do you happen to know more about withdrawal crises? I had no idea they wouldn't hit until 48 hours after stopping. What’s actually the worst-case scenario during a crisis—assuming you don't relapse but keep pushing through the taper? Is it possible to lose your mind?
(I know how that sounds, but I'm genuinely curious...)
Also, is there a reason why some people deal with intense psychological symptoms while others mostly feel it physically? For instance, I didn't feel any anxiety at all and my mental state was fine, but the physical symptoms were absolutely brutal.

Gary Thompson6 said:there is no way she’s just on Lexapro, especially at such a tiny 0.25 mg dose, I just can't buy it🙂 maybe it's just a placebo effect, but I'm not going to waste my energy arguing about it.😁😁

That sounds great, but please make sure you stop in time. Even with such a tiny dose, staying on it for more than a month might be pushing it.

velvetsailor26 said:I mean, why would anyone even bother switching up their ADHD medication if the current stuff is actually doing its job?😵
Look, changing your meds is really only necessary when the ones you’re on stop working altogether.

Trust me, you wouldn't believe the types of people out there.😲
A friend of mine cycled through six different antidepressants for social anxiety, even though he felt an improvement from the very first dose. He turned every minor side effect—weight gain from one, weight loss from another, dry mouth from a third—into a massive ordeal, and his psychiatrist just kept accommodating every single request.
After four years, he’s still on various treatments and hasn't made any real progress.

My psychiatrist is really hesitant about switching up my medication. He argues that dealing with the side effects of adjusting to a new prescription is actually worse than just waiting for the current one to kick in or slowly bumping up the dosage.

You won't, because werewolves only hunt under the cover of darkness, while you'll be out cold from that new therapy 🙂